Churchill: Another July Fourth with shuttered Troy pools

TROY — Here, in the birthplace of Uncle Sam, another Fourth of July weekend will come and go without public swimming pools open for the city's kids.

Pathetic.

The pools in Lansingburgh and South Troy have been closed since 2017, but the start of this summer was supposed to be different. Mayor Patrick Madden had said the South Troy pool, at least, would open at the start of July.

It didn't. And it isn't clear when it will.

John Salka, a spokesman for the mayor, said the reopening has been delayed because contractors found the pool to be in worse condition than previously believed. Salka talked about pool gutters and liners and ...

I get it. Construction projects can be complicated. Delays are inevitable. And every homeowner with a backyard pool can tell you that maintenance can be a pain in the swimming trunks.

I am also somewhat sympathetic to the broader argument Madden makes when he says the pools and the city's finances were allowed to deteriorate under previous mayors, and that he........